


Rumours Of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

by Maisie_top_trash



Series: Unseen - Fear Will Lose [10]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Depression, High School, Mental Illness, Panic Attacks, Self Harm, mental health
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-23 07:00:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8318338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maisie_top_trash/pseuds/Maisie_top_trash
Summary: Unseen Fear Will lose is a series of single chapter stories showing unseen scenes from the same universe as my main story, Fear Will Lose. In order to fully enjoy these extra bits, I recommend you go and read that first.Fear Will Lose This story takes place before Tyler's parents move him from his old school to Josh and Debby's.





	

Kelly folded and unfolded and folded again the corner of her closed magazine anxiously as she read a list of warning signs for bullying on her laptop for the fourth time that evening. As she read each bullet point and recognised it in her son's behaviour, she managed to convince herself yet again that Tyler was being bullied.

"Sweetie, I'm home!" Chris called from the hall, but Kelly didn't break her attention from the screen in front of her.

"Hey beautiful, how was your day?" Her husband asked, walking into the kitchen where she was sat. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Kelly you're not researching the bullying again are you?" He sighed as he read the screen.  
"He's getting bullied, I know he is,"  
"Sweetheart you're paranoid, he's fine, just being a moody teen."

"Chris just look at all of these, they apply straight to him. Doesn’t want to go to school or other activities with peers, check. I mean come on, when was the last time he went to a friend's house? Unexplained physical marks, cuts, bruises and scrapes. He's always covered in scratches and bruises and there's no way they can all come from basketball practice. Suddenly sullen, withdrawn, evasive; remarks about feeling lonely. I know he doesn't say it, but he'd definitely lonely, just like he's definitely withdrawn and evasive."

"Sweetheart," Chris tried to distract her, but she carried on reading.

"Changes in typical behaviour or personality, absolutely. Appears sad, moody, angry, anxious or depressed and that mood lasts with no known cause, yes. Physical complaints; headaches, stomachaches, frequently visits the school nurse’s office. He's been getting migraines almost every week, and he never used to get them before he started this year I swear. Change in eating habits, well he barely eats at all anymore. Difficulty sleeping, nightmares, cries self to sleep; I can hear him Chris, I hear him sobbing."  
"Yeah sweetheart, you always say that and I promise I've been trying to listen out for it but honestly I can't hear anything. I think you've got this idea stuck in your head and it's making you perceive things a certain way to try and fit it."

"Chris please, we've got to do something."  
"Alright darling, want me to talk to him?" Chris offered, still stood behind her.  
"I should do it."  
"You've already tried, but if you want to then alright. Where is he? He wasn't out front when I just walked in."  
"He came home at lunch today so he's already done his 500 hundred and he's showering." She explained anxiously, shutting the laptop and watching Chris walk around the table and get himself a drink.

"Why did he come home at lunch?"  
"See this is what I mean! He won't tell me! He just said that the nurse sent him home. Chris what if they hurt him really bad, what if he got knocked out or something," she panicked.  
"Kel, Kelly look at me, you need to calm down. We'll get to the bottom of this I promise, but not like this."

"I'm going to call the school." Kelly decided, reaching for the house phone.  
"Sweetheart don't. Just talk to him first. You're only going to embarrass him if you keep calling them up every couple of days. They said they hadn't noticed any bullying last time you called, and that they'd call you back if they saw anything concerning. They haven't, so there's nothing to worry about."  
"Maybe we should start looking into other high schools again, move him away from them."

The conversation stopped as Jay opened the door.

"Mommy, why's Tyler being a weirdo?" Jay asked, walking into the kitchen and putting his chin on the corner of the table.  
"Jay don't say that word." Chris told the 7 year old.  
"Tell me what you mean baby," Kelly panicked again.

"Well I accidentally went in the bathroom on accident to go to the toilet when Tyler was in the shower because I didn't know he was in the shower." The boy babbled.  
"Yeah," Kelly encouraged him.  
"And he was in the shower with the water going but he was sitting on the floor of the shower with all his clothes on like this," Jay continued, then sat on the floor and hugged his knees.

"Tyler is being a bit silly isn't he," Chris told Jay, "don't worry, Dad will tell him to stop messing about, you go and watch TV."  
"Okay," Jay smiled, then skipped back out of the room.

"There's something wrong Chris, please, just believe me."  
"Alright sweetheart, I'll talk to him okay?"  
"I'm going to his school tomorrow to talk to someone in person."  
"Slow down Kel, just let me talk to him."  
"I'm just so worried," she sighed, and he hugged her again.

 

 

~

 

 

"Ty? Can I come in?" Chris asked, wrapping his knuckles against the basement door.  
"What?!" Tyler complained, and Chris opened the door.

Tyler was sat huddled on the floor with his back against the wall on the opposite side of the room to where his keyboard was plugged in.  
"What are you doing?"

"Homework." Tyler blatantly lied, going back to playing with a loose thread on his pants as Chris sat on the couch next to him.

"What are you really doing?"  
"Homework."  
"Alright let's cut the small talk, you getting bullied?"  
"Mom given up on the subtle method? Sent you in to get the job done?" Tyler replied flatly.  
"No, I offered because she's about to call your school again. I'm doing you a favour here kid, don't spit it right back in my face."  
"How exactly are you doing me a favour?"  
"Saving you from more interrogation by your teachers, because you know that's what will happen if your mom does call."  
"So?"  
"Come on Ty, just talk to me."  
"No,"

"Jay saw you in the shower, wanna tell me what that's all about?"  
"No," Tyler replied dryly.  
"Alright why did you come home early?"  
"I was sent,"  
"By?" Chris asked.  
"Nurse,"  
"Because?"  
"Because I'm sick. Will you please just leave me alone?"

"Does anyone from school give you grief over the gay thing?"  
"No, and don't call it the gay thing," Tyler mumbled.  
"Okay I'm sorry, what do you want me to call it?"  
"Why do you have to call me anything?!" Tyler snapped.  
"Alright don't bite my head off." Chris said defensively. "I'm just trying to understand what's going on."

"You wanna know what's going on?"  
"Yes," Chris immediately nodded.  
"I'm trying to do my homework and you won't leave me alone."  
"Ty,"  
"Please just go Dad."

"You haven't had any basketball games recently, how's practice been going?"  
"Quit."  
"You what?!" Chris exclaimed.  
"I quit,"  
"Tyler that was supposed to be your route to college, you can't just quit like that without talking to us,"  
"Go on Dad, tell me what a disappointment I am, tell me I'm selfish and how I've let you all down, go on."

"Ty," Chris began, stopping to take a deep breath, "Tyler you're none of those of those things, okay son? None. You're just confusing me a bit, that's all. But don't worry, we can fix it. I'm sure if I go in and talk to Coach then he will take you back-"  
"Stop it, okay?! Stop it. I don't want him to take me back, I don't want to go back." Tyler snapped, standing up and walking to the other side of the room.

"If one of your teammates is treating you badly then tell me and we'll deal with it."  
"Fuck sake, I'm not getting bullied!"  
"Then what? Because you love basketball, you've loved it since you were a kid, you-"  
"I fucking hate it Dad,"  
"If you hate it so much then why do you spend hours playing every single night? 500 baskets, kids who hate basketball don't make 500 baskets."

"Can you please just go." Tyler said quietly.  
"Tyler talk to me, please, tell me why you make 500 if you really feel this way,"  
"Because I have to,"  
"You don't have to, nobody's making you."  
"I do, alright, I just do," Tyler said emotionally, rubbing the back of his neck as he paced.

"Why?"  
"Just leave me alone,"  
"Is it a confidence thing? Do you think you're not good enough? Is that why you make yourself practice for so long? And why you quit?" Chris guessed.

"I'm fine Dad," Tyler sighed, sitting back down on the other side of the room.  
"You're not. You know what? If you don't want to tell me then that's okay, I'm not going to force you. And if you don't want to tell Mom then I understand that too, but don't go around saying you're fine when you're obviously lying. Talk to someone, the school guidance counsellor, Zack, one of your friends."  
"I don't have friends," Tyler whispered, staring into the distance.

"Course you do, all the guys from basketball,"  
"No,"  
"What about Mark?"  
"Nope,"  
"You and Michael have been friends since you were born,"  
"He hates me Dad," Tyler admitted sadly, staring into the distance.  
"Well what about everyone from chur-"  
"Just stop trying, there's no one."

"Be honest, do they bully you?" Chris asked, moving to sit on the floor next to him.

"No, they ignore me completely, I might as well not exist."  
"Don't say that Ty,"  
"Why? It's true."  
"Of course it's not true, you mean so much to all of us."  
"Pff," Tyler scoffed.

"We're your family Tyler, we're always going to care about you."  
"Mom doesn't actually care, she's smothers me like a fucking child - she calls me baby and I'm 17- and worries more about her being a bad mother than how I actually am."  
"That's not true, she loves you so much Tyler and don't you dare think any differently, she wou-"  
"This is the first time you've spoken to me 1 on 1 in weeks,"  
"I'm sorr-"  
"I'm an embarrassment to Zack, he's just like everyone else, looks the other way at school, ashamed, pretends I don't exist,"  
"Okay I'll talk to him-"  
"Maddy never speaks to me anymore," Tyler continued, still staring into the distance.  
"I'll talk to her too,"  
"And Jay? Jay walked in on me on the comedown from a panic attack and didn't even blink twice."  
"A panic attack? You're having panic attacks? Tyler why didn't you say something?"

"What exactly do I say? Hi Mom hi Dad, oh by the way I keep having these attacks where I feel like I can't breathe and my heart's going to burst through my chest and I can't see properly. Everyday I go to school and nobody makes eye contact with me because I'm the emo kid who has meltdowns in the bathroom stall, and hides in the corner of class and thinks about how pointless my existence is and how much I want to die. All the fucking time. I can't stop thinking about it, I wish I could stop but I can't and I hate myself because of it. And I can't stop fucking throwing baskets because if I stop then all this bad shit's going to happen and it will all be my fault and then I really will be alone but I'll deserve it because I didn't get the 500 and I deserve all the pain I put myself through because I'm a fucking piece of crap and-"  
"Tyler breathe,"  
"I can't,"  
"Come here," Chris said, pulling his hyperventilating son into a hug against his chest, holding him tightly.

"You're alright, come on take a deep breath, you're freaking yourself out."  
"I, can't, do, this," Tyler gasped against the fabric of his dad's shirt.  
"Tyler you need to calm down," Chris told him alarmed. "What can I do to help?"  
"Nothing, nothing works," Tyler sobbed.

"We'll get you some help, your mom and I, we'll talk to someone at the church and-"  
"No,"  
"No? Not from the church?"  
"No," he repeated hysterically, still buried against Chris' chest.  
"Okay son, not if you don't want to. We'll talk to the school counsellor instead,"  
"No, please no,"  
"Tyler come on, you have to let me help you,"  
"Not school, I hate it there so much,"

"Alright champ, sit up for me a second, sit up," Chris said gently, helping him to lean against the wall again.

He took a moment to watch as Tyler's chest jerked as he cried, eyes squeezed closed. It was a sight he had never seen before but Tyler clearly had a lot of practice in.

"Tyler I need you to help me understand what's going, why do you hate school so much?"  
"Shit shit shit," Tyler sobbed, banging his head against the wall behind him.  
"Stop it," Chris instructed him firmly.

"Tyler, you're scaring me son. Tell me the problem and I'll make it better,"  
"You can't,"  
"I can try, just tell me,"  
"I hate myself," Tyler choked, "I hate myself and I'm fucking tired Dad, I can't do it anymore."  
"Oh Tyler," Chris sighed, pulling him into another hug and letting him cry for a minute.

"We'll sort it I promise," Chris whispered into his hair.  
"No you won't,"  
"We will Ty, we will."  
"I'm s-sor-ry D-ad,"  
"Don't apologise, this isn't your fault, okay? Don't say sorry, I know you didn't choose to feel like this. I'm sorry for not picking up that something was wrong, and for not spending as much time with you as I should, and for not being the type of dad that you feel you could talk to."

"I've fucked everything up haven't I?"  
"No absolutely not."  
"I don't know what to do Dad," Tyler sobbed.  
"Listen to me champ, it might sound drastic but by the looks of things you need a drastic change, how about we take you out of school, yeah? Your mom was considering it when we thought you were getting bullied. We can move you to another high school, give you a fresh start,"  
"It won't work, nothing works,"  
"I think we should at least try, you never know, it might help,"

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, sorry I haven't posted in a few days but things haven't been the best for me recently. After 4 months without an episode, I suffered a relapse 2 days ago. Thankfully I was taken care of and I'm safe and recovering, but my updates may be a little unreliable/irregular over the next couple of days  
> Love you all xx


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